UCLA FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Kevin Hogan has been a hero for Stanford

LOS ANGELES - Stanford won the quarterback battle Saturday at UCLA by rolling out its own redshirt freshman in Kevin Hogan.

Hogan, who has only three collegiate starts, has the No. 8 Cardinal offense moving along after just about the most seamless quarterback transition possible. The 6-foot-4 signal-caller beat out senior Josh Nunes more than three weeks ago, when Stanford's offense stalled early against lowly Colorado.

The team's newly minted offensive leader hasn't put up eye-popping numbers, but working within Stanford's power run game he hasn't needed to.

In a 35-17 win over the Bruins, Hogan - who wasn't a serious player in the offseason position battle - threw for just 160 yards and a touchdown on 15-of-22 passing.

"They didn't change a whole lot structurally," UCLA head coach Jim Mora said. "He's a really good decision-maker and he's poised. We put decent pressure on him and he made some tight throws. It's a cliche, but he plays within himself. He understands his strengths and weaknesses.

"They do an excellent job of accentuating his strengths."

Hogan had his first turnover-free game against the Bruins.

"The last few weeks, he's been pretty much the same," Stanford head coach David Shaw said. "Not perfect, but gosh, he's so instinctive.

"He's not playing like a redshirt freshman. He's playing like a guy beyond his years."

Shaw also said the team has grown much more comfortable with Hogan running the offense. The Cardinal have been able to increase the number of audibles they call.

Mora added he was impressed with Hogan's ability to run the ball. Well-protected by a beefy offensive line, the quarterback scrambled to keep plays alive and tacked on 12 yards rushing to his efficient passing performance.

Recovery week

Mora said he still wasn't changing the routine. Just altering it.

The coach has been loath to tweak anything in the team's regular schedule throughout the season, but a short practice week leading up to Friday's Pac-12 Championship has forced his hand just slightly. On Monday, normally a day off for the team, the Bruins went full speed but without pads.

"I'm pretty sure the team we're playing against went light contact too," defensive end Datone Jones said. "It would be dumb for anyone to come out, knowing we have a big, physical game coming up. Our bodies haven't fully recovered. That's a 48-hour period, and we'll be back in full pads. It's important so someone doesn't get hurt."

Mora also used artificial crowd noise for the first time since spring practices. He said he wasn't necessarily concerned about simulating the environment at Stanford, but wanted to add some distractions for the team.